Eric Richins had Quetiapine in his system at the time of his death, according to the warrant. Quetiapine, better known as Seroquel, is used to treat mood disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia. His wife Kouri Richins had a prescription for the drug.
An autopsy found medication prescribed to Kouri Richins in her husband's system, according to a newly unsealed search warrant in her murder trial.
Eric Richins had Quetiapine in his system at the time of his death, according to the warrant.
Quetiapine, better known as Seroquel, is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, along with other mood and mental disorders.
This new information comes from an application requesting access to Richins' medical records, which was filed in March of last year and included an affidavit from an investigator on the case.
That warrant and others had been sealed at the request of the Summit County Attorney’s Office until last week.
"I requested a review of the stomach contents and saw that Eric also had a small amount of Quetiapine in his stomach contents," says the warrant obtained by Inside Edition Digital. "Eric did not have a prescription for Quetiapine, but his wife had a prescription as well as the pills at their home."
Richins acknowledged having a prescription for the drug.
"She initially told me that she occasionally used the pills as a sleeping aid," says the warrant. "When speaking to the medical examiner and her colleagues, this is not the intended use of the medication that is shown as an antipsychotic."
Richins is currently behind bars in Utah after a judge denied her request for pre-trial release ahead of her murder trial later this year.
She is accused of killing her husband, Eric, with a fatal dose of fentanyl. Richins is charged with aggravated murder and three counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She had plead not guilty to all these charges.
A warrant obtained by Inside Edition Digital alleges that Richins initially told officers she brought her husband a Moscow mule in bed to celebrate the fact that the couple had closed on the house back on March 4, 2022, and then went to sleep with one of their three sons because he was having a "night terror."
She said that when she returned to her bedroom her husband was cold to the touch, according to the warrant.
The warrant says that investigators became suspicious when a search of her phone allegedly showed movement during the time Richins claimed to be sleeping in her son's bed. The search also allegedly revealed that text messages had been deleted from the device.
Richins went ahead with signing the papers for the new home the very next day, and then threw a party to celebrate.
Greg Skordas, a spokesperson for Eric's family, previously told Inside Edition that Richins' behavior after Eric's death raised "a lot of red flags."
Investigators eventually determined that Eric's death had been caused by a fatal dose of fentanyl that was "ingested orally," according to the warrant.
"He expressed to some of his family members that if something ever did happen to him, that [Richins] should be investigated," Skordas told Inside Edition Digital.
Police believe that may have been the result of a previous attempt on his life.
The warrant alleges that Richins had purchased fatal quantities of hydrocodone and fentanyl prior to her purchase of the fentanyl she allegedly used to spike his drink on the night of his death.
An acquaintance of Richins told police that after she requested "some of that Michael Jackson stuff," he provided her with $900 worth of fentanyl twice in February 2022.
On Feb. 11, 2022, police say Richins procured between 15-30 pills from the dealer.
"Three days later, on February 14, 2022, Eric and defendant had a Valentine’s Day dinner at their Kamas home," the warrant alleges. "Shortly after the dinner, Eric became very ill. Eric believed that he had been poisoned. Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him."
Richins allegedly received the second batch of the drugs on Feb. 26, 2022, according to the warrant. Eric died on March 4, 2022.
Richins later went on to write a children's book about grief, which included an illustration of her husband with angel wings on the cover.
Deputies arrested Richins on May 8 after a lengthy investigation.
A judge denied her pretrial release after prosecutors argued the widow and mother of three posed a "substantial danger."
As proof of that "danger," prosecutors noted a jailhouse conversation in which Richins' mother noted that the only person she is a "danger" to is her sister-in-law. Richins responded by laughing at the comment and agreeing with her mother, according to the prosecutor's motion.
Richins and her sister-in-law have both sued one another over access to Eric's estate.
A lawyer for Richins did not respond to a request for comment.
